Part 7 Teacher and Father

Short break

Baby Khushi came to Arnav's cabin. Arnav smiled at her. Keeping his juice bottle on the table,

"Take it. Give it to your teacher" Arnav said.

"My teacher doesn't want your juice but YOU," Baby Khushi said.

Arnav was stuck.

"Me?" he stammered. Of course, he had no reason to think in the way baby Khushi said.

"Yes, she wants you to meet her"

Arnav was alerted. He knew Khushi won't like to meet him for any reason. He came to Baby Khushi and kneeled in front of her.

"Why does she want to meet me?"

"She found out that you are the one who drew the drawing"

Arnav closed his eyes making a weird face.

"Did she scold you?" he asked.

"No... She didn't scold me. She said, she will give us ANOTHER chance if we need to complete the work but she doesn't like charters" she pouted.

Arnav smiled painfully. Not everyone was lucky enough to get ANOTHER chance, he supposed.

"How did she find it out?"

"She asked me to draw a straight line"

"Did you draw the line straight?"

"How could I draw a straight line without using a scale?" She questioned him back.

"That's how she could have found it out because I didn't use the scale but drew the line straight"

"I told you to use the scale but you didn't OBEY me. See, what happened now. I got caught" she chided him, pouting.

"I'm sorry..." Arnav scratched his forehead.

"Come and meet my teacher" she walked to the door and stopped.

"Haan... She said, she doesn't want to meet the school's principal but my father" she left the room.

Arnav parted his lips, biting his teeth slightly. He understood he was going to get something BIG from Khushi for doing Baby Khushi's homework. He nodded his head from left to right and went to his seat.

That was when he heard a knock on the door. He straightened himself and said,

"Come in..."

He saw Shyam entering.

"Sir, the permanent identity cards for newly appointed teachers came..." He kept them on the table.

Arnav nodded ok.

"Shall I distribute them?"

"From when did you start doing an attender's job? You are the vice principal of this school... You often forget that in SOME OTHER work tension, I suppose" It was undoubtedly a direct mockery. Arnav pricked him, hinting that he was working for Sheetal.

Throwing a consent glance at Arnav, Shyam left his cabin. Sheetal was right. There was a change in his behavior. Arnav usually gave a one-word answer... and it would be YES or NO. Arnav knew Shyam was spying on him. Yet, he never reacted to it. This was the first time Arnav pinched Shyam with his words. But why? Shyam thought.

Lunch break

Baby Khushi was fed up as her father didn't come to meet her teacher. But Khushi knew he wouldn't come to meet her the class hours as she wanted to meet baby Khushi's father not the principal of the school. She guessed it right. Arnav decided to meet her after school hours when he pick up Baby Khushi.

That was when Lavanya came to Khushi's class all delighted.

"Khushi... a happy news"

"What?"

"I have been assigned as assistant program organizer for the Independence day celebration"

"But... What's there to be happy?"

"Manju teacher is the main organizer of the program"

"Oh..."

"I will definitely gather information about Arnav sir and Sheetal"

"But, why are you so curious about them?" She asked as if she had no interest to know about him.

"Meet that haughty-headed woman once... Then you too will become curious to know about her" Lavanya said.

Khushi frowned. Was she that arrogant? How did Arnav handle her? Something hit her mind. Who else other than him could coax a woman? Was not his ONE SMILE enough to make a woman flat? She thought gritting her teeth. We could not say what state she was in... either feeling proud of Arnav or jealous. The most used words of Khushi to Arnav were, STOP SMILING. She could never stand his smile no matter how angry she was.

"Khushi... What are you thinking?" Lavanya asked.

"I... Just... How will you manage your class if you look after independence day program arrangements?"

"What do you think, you will be sitting in class?"

"Means?"

"You too will get into some activity..."

"Oh..."

"For the next few days, there won't be any classes taking place."

"Oh..."

"Or, as you are new to the school, you may be left from this pressure"

Khushi nodded ok.

"I will try to get the hot news from Manju teacher" Lavanya left the place.

Khushi didn't have hope as she didn't know about Manju.

..........

As Khushi expected, Arnav came to meet her only after school hours. As usual baby, Khushi was waiting for him in the class. Khushi's heartbeat raised. She had no idea how Arnav was going to react to her act.

Arnav was also in the same tension. He got scolded by Khushi many times. He even got beaten up by her but this was something different. He got caught doing his daughter's homework. She was going to make him stand in the witness box and would lash him over. He chuckled at his state. Should mention Khushi didn't even change. She had the guts to point her finger... even at the principal of the school in which she was working.

Making himself up, Arnav came to Khushi's class. All the students were already left, except Baby Khushi. Khushi looked at him. For the first time, Arnav felt like laughing after many years. He controlled himself when Khushi frowned at his expression.

"Khushi said you want to meet me... Ma'am..." He intentionally called her *ma'am* hinting to her that he was there as baby Khushi's father.

Taking the drawing from the table, Khushi held it in her hand.

"Who drew this?" Khushi asked seriously.

This time Arnav could not hold his smile. He scratched the corner of his forehead with his index finger, biting his inner lip. Khushi gulped down hard, seeing his smile.

"STOP SMILING," she said, forgetting herself that washed Arnav's smile out.

This was how she always asked him to stop smiling whenever they fought. He looked at her sharply.

"I... Asked... You... Something" she stammered.

"Khushi forgot to do the homework the previous day. That's why..."

Cutting him,

"We are giving homework to children to improve their skills. Being a principal of a school, can't you understand simple logic? You are becoming a wrong example in your daughter's eyes. She will expect the same from you every time. If you deny her for any reason, it will make her fed up because you had already created an expectation in her heart. Every parent love their children but this is not a way of showing your love"

"I didn't do that just because I love Khushi. ( he paused for a while making her gulp down) It's because she loves YOU. She didn't want you to get disappointed. That's why she tried to finish it while having breakfast. I knew she could not finish it. That's why I helped her"

Khushi looked at the drawing and then at baby Khushi.

"I know WHAT I DID IS WRONG BUT I HAD A REASON," Arnav said.

Khushi looked at him jerking. She knew he was not talking about the drawing.

"Khushi... You may go" she said.

Taking her bag, baby Khushi came to her.

"Are you angry with me?" She asked Khushi.

Before Khushi answered her, Arnav did.

"She is not angry with YOU..." he stressed the word YOU. He didn't say, BUT WITH ME.

Khushi glared at him who was already gazing at her. She looked at baby Khushi.

"Your daddy is right. I'm not angry with YOU" she too stressed the word YOU, looking at Arnav, making him swallow hard.

"Thank you, teacher" baby Khushi said.

Khushi smiled at her.

"With whom you are angry?" Baby Khushi asked.

Neither Khushi answered her nor did she look at Arnav.

"Khushiiii..." Arnav called.

Both the Khushis looked at him.

"She is angry with me," Arnav said, looking at Khushi, making Khushi stunned.

He spread his hand towards baby Khushi. She rushed to him. Arnav picked her up in his arms.

"I'm sorry Khushi, because of me, you faced problems. I'm sorry, I put you in trouble" having baby Khushi in his arms, he said looking at Khushi.

Khushi looked somewhere. Of course, he saw her eyes tear up.

"Don't worry Daddy, Khushi's teacher will forgive you too" baby Khushi said.

"No beta... I don't want her to forgive me" Arnav said hurriedly.

"Why Daddy?" Baby Khushi asked could not understand.

Without answering, he looked at Khushi who understood why he didn't want her to forgive him.

Taking her handbag, Khushi walked out. Why did she still look vulnerable? Hadn't she gotten out of their memories after her marriage too? But why? Arnav could not understand.

To be continued...